…What should I do? Iberis remained silent, unable to either accept or reject. His hand trembled finely, fidgeting with the blanket as his eyes wavered, unable to find their bearings. He really never thought something like this would happen to him.
Gulp.
Swallowing dryly, Iberis hesitantly glanced at Lucas. He had said not to feel burdened, but it was a situation where he would feel burdened no matter which choice he made.
“Major?”
As Iberis’s silence lengthened, an anxious Lucas carefully called out to him. When the hot breath tickled the bridge of his nose and around his lips, Iberis’s thin shoulders twitched greatly.
“Uh…”
Reflexively biting his lip, Iberis let out a faint groan. The gaze urging for his answer and the soft warmth almost touching his lips vividly recalled the sensation of fully touching Lucas again.
Feeling a strange thirst, Iberis unknowingly gripped the blanket tightly. Although the first-stage guiding through hands and mana shower felt good, it was nothing compared to the kiss.
Perhaps that’s why, while his head thought he should reject Lucas, his body remembered the sweetness it had tasted once and desired him. This was the reason Iberis hesitated, unable to make a decision.
“I’ll say it again out of caution… I’m not asking you to be my lover right away. I’m asking you to let me continue guiding you so I can live faithfully as your pair. If possible, I’d like you to allow up to second-stage guiding.”
Lucas, keenly perceiving Iberis’s inner conflict, whispered softly. He hoped to develop into more than just an esper and guide relationship and occupy the place beside him, but he didn’t want to ruin things by being hasty.
From what he had observed over the past few months, Iberis tended to struggle with building relationships with others. Due to the nature of his ability, he hadn’t been able to get along well with people since childhood, and this trait seemed to have worsened after losing all his colleagues a few years ago.
The fear from the trauma of unexpectedly parting with those he had formed deep relationships with was deeply rooted in Iberis’s subconscious.
Approaching someone with such tendencies too suddenly would likely make them scared and avoidant. So it was necessary to approach slowly so he couldn’t run away, and to ease his wariness.
As the saying goes, “the more haste, the less speed,” Lucas planned to slowly and gradually break down the walls in Iberis’s heart. Although he wasn’t sure how long he could be patient.
“Is that really okay? If we do that, I’d be using you for my own comfort…”
Iberis mumbled in a small voice. If he had no intention of accepting the feelings of someone who said they liked him, was it okay to continue having skinship with him for the sake of guiding? He felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
“It’s fine. Because it’s what I want.”
Feel free to use me as much as you like. Lucas whispered with a hint of laughter in his voice, applying gentle pressure to the hand holding Iberis’s chin. His golden eyes, darker than usual, held a strange glint.
“As long as you don’t dissolve our pair or refuse guiding… I’m not losing anything. I get to do my job and satisfy my personal desires.”
“Uh, um.”
“So don’t feel sorry unnecessarily… You just need to nod your head.”
Lucas slightly lifted Iberis’s chin and asked for permission once again. Due to the even closer distance than before, their flesh brushed against each other repeatedly as Lucas’s lips moved.
“Hah.”
As sweet breath seeped through his slightly parted lips, Iberis’s body stiffened. His spine tingled at the feeling of warm body temperature and soft sensation rubbing against his lips. However, he didn’t push Lucas away.
Seeing that Iberis didn’t reject him, Lucas kissed him as if he had been waiting for this moment. The moment their lips overlapped, Iberis’s eyes closed.
Ah.
Realizing that Iberis had given permission, Lucas let out a small exclamation in the back of his throat. Slightly opening his jaw, he trapped Iberis’s lower lip, where a scab had formed, inside his mouth, gently pulling and releasing it.
Chu.
The lips that had separated with a sensual sound met again as if nothing had happened. This time, Lucas completely devoured the slightly smaller lips compared to his own. As he inserted his tongue in this state, he could feel the body against him flinching.
“Mmnh, hah.”
Iberis let out a faint moan as the moist, thick flesh gently swam inside his mouth. The sound of tongues rubbing against each other and saliva mixing leaked through the gap between their sealed lips.
The guiding that began with the kiss offered a familiar yet strange sensation. Iberis trembled slightly as he felt Lucas’s mana, fluttering like a spring breeze, gently enveloping his body. The heat that seeped into his skin like paint spreading on canvas dispersed throughout his entire body.
“Ah, wait, mmph, mmm…”
Iberis, his breath quickened before he knew it, tried to pull his lips away. Then, as if telling him not to run away, thick, long fingers dug into his fine, fluttering hair.
Lucas, cupping the round back of Iberis’s head with his hand, climbed onto the bed completely and tilted his head to the side. This deepened their connection even further.
“Huu…”
Iberis was helplessly swept away by the pleasure Lucas gave him. Every time his lips were bitten and his tongue was sucked, stars flashed before his eyes, and as the warm breeze-like mana pushed away the chill inside his body, a strange, sensual feeling rose. He was so absorbed in the kiss that he didn’t even realize his body had been laid down.
“Haa, huh…”
Opening his eyes at the sensation of his body losing balance and tipping over, Iberis stared blankly at the lips moving away from him, breathing heavily. He felt an inexplicable disappointment as the transparent thread connecting them broke with a snap.
“Are you alright?”
Lucas, with a half-dazed expression, gently kissed Iberis’ cheeks and around his eyes as he breathed heavily, checking his complexion. Though he knew he should handle him carefully as he had just regained consciousness, seeing his disheveled appearance beneath him made his chest tighten. He suppressed his rising desire and spoke.
“Can we continue a bit more?”
“Mmm…”
A sound, unclear whether it was an answer or a moan, flowed from between lips made slick with both their saliva. Lucas, interpreting it as he pleased, lowered his head to join their lips again. As he did so, he slid his hand inside his soft pajamas.
“…! Lu-Luke?”
Iberis, intoxicated by the excitement of the unending kisses, startled when Lucas’ lips touched his collarbone, grabbing his arm. It was as if cold water had been poured over his head, snapping him back to full awareness.
“W-wait, wait a moment. Wasn’t it, ah, supposed to be just kissing?”
“Do you dislike it?”
Lucas, restrained by Iberis, raised his head and nuzzled his lips against Iberis’ flushed ear. Even as he did this, his hand was diligently exploring Iberis’ slender waist.
“I-I don’t know…”
Iberis hunched his shoulders as Lucas’ voice, thick with desire, coiled around his earlobe. It was a provocative tone that made the nape of his neck tingle.
“Hmm.”
Lucas let out a low hum at the sight of Iberis, face flushed and at a loss for what to do. Then he bared his teeth and bit Iberis’ soft earlobe.
“Ah!”
A short cry of pleasure escaped Iberis’ lips at the electrifying sensation. As the lips that had been gently nibbling his earlobe slid down his straight neckline, and the hot hand kneaded his waist gently, a shiver ran down his spine, making his hair stand on end.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Major, I should remind you that in stage 2 guiding, more intense skinship besides kissing is also allowed. Do you remember?”
Lucas asked casually, lightly grazing his teeth against Iberis’ protruding collarbone before withdrawing. The scent, cool and refreshing like the winter air at dawn, filled his nostrils, arousing the urge to bury his lips in Iberis’ paper-thin skin and leave marks all over. But he had to restrain himself for now.
“I-I remember. But this seems to be going too far…”
“Well, the line between stage 2 and 3 is a bit vague. As we focus on guiding, the intensity of skinship can naturally increase…”
Lucas, lost in thought for a moment, added, “We should probably agree on this part too.” It seemed best to firmly establish boundaries now to prevent any misunderstandings later. It was also a good opportunity to gauge Iberis’ limits.
“How far will you allow me to go, Major?”
“Huh?”
“May I bite? What about sucking? If you become aroused enough to get an erection during guiding, what would you like to do?”
“W-what do you mean by sucking…”
Iberis stammered at the explicit questions, his mind becoming hazy for a different reason now.
“Well, the basis of stage 2 guiding is mucosal contact, right? Collarbone, chest, waist, ankles… There are so many places I could bite and suck besides your lips.”
“Ah…”
“So I think it would be good to set the possible range before we start serious guiding… How far will you allow me to go?”
